Latest Research

An Illustrated History of the Embroidered Silk Postcards is the standard reference book on embroidered silk postcards. It contains references to over 2600 different cards with over 270 illustrations. The page on the Manufacture of Embroidered Silk Postcards is now superseded by the newly discovered information described in this section.


This section describes the extensive research that I have undertaken since the book was published. This has led to major advances into our knowledge of embroidered silk postcards and their origins.

There has always been a sturdy band of collectors of embroidered silk postcards. The majority of these were mainly interested in military cards and patriotic cards with better designs. Publication of my book sparked a lot of interest in embroidered silk postcards and many new collectors appeared. One consequence of this was that prices (and values) of the cards increased almost overnight. Another was that the designs of sentimental cards became more widely appreciated as miniature embroidered works of art. The increased interest also spawned more discussion about the cards, which encouraged me to continue research in the subject.

My main interest at the time was the manufacture of embroidered silk postcards, which had not been resolved. A few people came forward who had an interest in embroidery and gave me some clues. The internet was also becoming more widely available at the time, allowing me to discover information about machine embroidery that had hitherto been unavailable. The page on the Manufacture of Embroidered Silk Postcards is the sum of the knowledge that I have acquired since. It supersedes the page in the book and the previous publication on this website. My research has finally pieced together the necessary knowledge in this complex area and much new information has been added in this version that has not been previously published.


I have always been seeking out embroidered silk postcards that were made before the First World War period and, so far, have discovered at least 330 of them. This is a complex area involving dozens of publishers with widely varying styles of embroidered silk postcards, and this number of cards was necessary to unravel the complicated assortment of types and styles of card introduced during this period.

The research started as a single page but soon developed. So, there are now three pages of research plus another three pages that list all the known Early (Pre-1914) cards. None of this work has been published before. Click on a page below to go straight to the page you need:

RESEARCH

Early (Pre-1914) Embroidered Silk Postcards

Early Embroidered Silk Postcards Without a Frame

Early Embroidered Silk Postcards With a Frame

Early Postcards with an Appliquéd Embroidered Motif

POSTCARD LISTINGS

Early (Pre-1914) Embroidered Silk Postcards

Early Embroidered Silk Postcards Without a Frame

Early Embroidered Silk Postcards With a Frame

Early Postcards with an Appliquéd Embroidered Motif


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